February brings us the second installment of the 2010 Hop Odyssey series. Let's get to it.

Creeper pours a gold, straw looking color. It's very hazy and has a slight orange tint with backlighting. I'm surprised there's not more copper, amber, or red, but alas, there is not. An off-white head caps it off. It stands over a finger tall and is very slow to dissipate. Lacing was very sticky, but moderate in volume. Not bad, but seems a little off in color for the style.

Hops are very strong in the nose. They're responsible for a nice mix of grapefruit, pineapple, and orange scents, as well as a healthy dose of pine. Smells delicious. The hops are countered by a sweet, malty smell. Caramel and toffee notes are very much in the mix. I'm not getting much in terms of dark fruit, which also is a little surprising. Perhaps it's just buried in the avalanche of sweet malt and hops scents. Alcohol is noted, but doesn't seem all that strong.

The flavor is very good. It's better than the nose, but I'm wrestling with how much. I'll ponder that point. It's sweet and malty up front. Caramel and toffee flavors are tasty and anchor things down nicely. Hops waste little time getting into the mix. I don't know the profile that was used, but they feature citric grapefruit, pineapple, and orange flavors. Pine comes through loud and clear. Perhaps stronger than the citrus flavors. It's nice and bitter, but that bitterness is countered nicely by the malt presence. I'm getting a little raisin-esque flavor. It's secondary, but it adds nice depth and complements the other flavors well. Alcohol is blended very well. I'd never guess this has a double digit abv. It finishes bitter and a little dry.

Creeper has a medium body, but not by much. It feels a tad thin, but gets better with a little warming. It is smooth, but doesn't feel quite creamy. Drinkability is good. The flavor here is impressive and it goes down easy. Too easy for a beer this big. I'll have another glass, but an entire growler is a little much to handle solo.

I'm really impressed with the Hop Odyssey series thus far. Creeper is a really tasty American Barleywine. The color seems a tad off and the nose would benefit from a stronger dark fruit presence, but the flavor delivers. This is good stuff. I've long thought Barley's brewed the best beer in Columbus. I haven't changed my mind yet, but Columbus Brewing Company is giving me a lot to think about. Creeper is impressive. Keep it up, guys.

Poured from a fresh growler into a tulip. Appearance is a great, hazy, orange, with a nice white head that leaves great lacing.

Nose is wonderful - full of pine and citrus, but also good malt undertones. The nose right after pouring is simply spectacular. Taste is great, it finishes very bitter, but it doesn't go overboard . There is a nice malt sweetness that helps balnace things out a bit, but the hops still dominate.

The mouthfeel is nice and smooth, and has a creamy texture. It is ridiculously drinkable, and the alcohol is so well masked, it can really sneak up on you. Overall, this beer is simply amazing, and another great brew from CBC.

32 ounce growler picked up from Blacklick Wine and Spirits earlier today. They just tapped the keg yesterday so I assume this is a fresh batch. Served in a Dogfish Head IPA glass, the beer pours a hazy golden/orange color with a couple inch white head. The head sticks around for a long time, and there's also a lot of lacing. Aroma is very nice, the brew mostly smells like citrusy (tropical fruit, grapefruit, orange peel) and pine hops, and some bready malt. The taste is similar to the aroma, but there's the addition of some peppery spice and herbalness. The tropical fruit bittersweet finish lingers for a very long time. It's creamy and slick with a good amount of carbonation. Well, I'm very happy I picked up a growler of this on the way home from work. Definitely worth trying if you come across some! $10.99 a growler fill.